Chapter 10 #2
Cate took up her position on a street corner near the platform Dmytro had identified as the one place Calloway passed every day when he came to the platform.
She’d worn a hoodie that had been part of the bag of clothes Hammer’s wife, Jaz, had given her.
When she reached the corner, she pulled the hood over her head, tucking her blond hair inside.
Wearing jeans and the hoodie, she could have been a teenager, hanging out, maybe waiting for a friend.
She leaned against the corner of a building, kept her head down and her eyes open, searching.
Five minutes passed, then ten, with no sign of Marcus.
Cate had done enough stakeouts to know you had to be patient and blend in to see what most people didn’t notice.
She crossed her arms and glanced left and right, noting an old woman carrying her market basket on a mission she presumed was to fill it with fresh vegetables and bread for the evening’s dinner.
Not far behind her, a man wearing a dark trench coat and what Cate identified as a wool caddy hat strode toward the platform, collar up and head down, carrying a coffee cup.
She might have missed him had she not recognized the way he walked. She’d always considered Marcus an arrogant narcissist, but she’d been nice to him for Dana’s sake.
As he neared, she tensed, bunched her muscles and stepped in front of him.
He stopped abruptly to avoid crashing into her, spilling coffee over his hand. He muttered a curse, looked up, and glared at the person in front of him. “You should be more careful.”
“Marcus?” Cate pushed her hood back and looked up at the man, gritting her teeth to keep from kneeing him in the balls. “I didn’t expect to see you in Zurich. What brings you here?” She glanced around. “Is Dana with you? I haven’t spoken with her in ages.”
Marcus’s eyebrows formed a V over his nose. “What the hell, Cate? Since when did you arrive in Switzerland?”
“A couple of days ago,” she said. “How about you? Are you on one of your work trips?”
“Work, actually.” He lifted his chin. “And you? Are you here on a job or vacation?”
“Actually, I’m on a job.” Her smile was so forced, it almost hurt her face.
“You see, a friend of mine called out of the blue…from jail.” Her gaze met and held Marcus’s.
“For a crime she didn’t commit. She asked me to find out what really happened, and boy, did I find a can of worms with a maggot at the center. ”
He shot a glance to his right and then his left. Then he shifted sideways and looked over his shoulder before he snorted and said, “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for work.”
When he tried to move past her, Cate blocked his path.
Cate dropped the pretense. “What have you gotten yourself into, Marcus?”
Again, he glanced around, his eyes narrowing. “Get out of my way.”
“I know you framed Dana for your murder. That took a lot of planning. What do you call a premeditated fake murder? And how about all those supplies you’ve been ordering that never showed up, never were delivered, but were paid for by the United States government.
And whose Swiss bank account has a whopping nine million dollars sitting there that matches the total payments for those relief supplies that never existed? ”
“Shut up,” Marcus said between gritted teeth.
She shook her head. “Nope, I don’t think I can. What would happen if I shared that information with Swiss law enforcement? Even in Switzerland, money laundering is a crime.”
“Shut the fuck up.” His gaze shot around.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest.
“Cate,” Draco’s voice sounded in her ear. “Get away from him. Now.”
Cate shook her head. No way. She wasn’t afraid of Marcus. She was mad. “What if I don’t shut up? Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn you over to the FBI? How would you like to trade places with your wife?”
He gripped her shoulders. “I’m not afraid of you.
You’re just a pathetic PI who thinks she knows everything.
All you do is go around screwing with people’s lives.
” Marcus’s fingers gripped her arms so tightly they’d leave bruises.
He shoved her away from him. “Dana is better off in jail. She’s safer there than at home.
You have no idea who you’re dealing with. ”
“Yeah?” She lifted her chin and stared down her nose at the bastard. “Then tell me. You’re not smart enough to steal nine million dollars on your own. Who are you working for?”
An engine revved nearby, and tires squealed.
Marcus looked past her, his eyes widening. “I’m fucked.” He turned and bolted. He was only halfway across the street when a dark sedan fishtailed around the corner where Cate stood, missing her by mere inches and heading straight for Marcus.
Marcus darted right.
The vehicle veered right.
Suddenly, Marcus turned. Before the car plowed into him, Marcus jumped, planted his hands on the hood and flipped, his back slamming into the windshield before he rolled off and dropped to the pavement.
The sedan, its windshield shattered, slammed into an electric pole.
Draco appeared beside Cate and pulled her into his arms.
Hammer ran toward them. “Is she okay?”
Cate answered, “Yes,” though her entire body trembled.
Phantom, Crusher, Fearghas, Dax and Inspector Brandt converged on the crashed car and the man on the ground.
Cate stepped out of Draco’s arms and hurried toward the team. “Is he dead?”
Hammer had two fingers pressed to the base of Marcus’s throat. Seconds passed.
Cate held her breath.
“He’s got a pulse,” Hammer said.
Inspector Brandt stopped beside Marcus. “I called for an ambulance. Do we need two? What about the driver?”
Phantom and Crusher pulled the driver’s side door open.
The driver, who hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, pitched sideways and would have fallen out of the car if Crusher hadn’t leaped forward and caught him before easing him to the ground.
Crusher felt for a pulse for a long time. Finally, he nodded. “This one’s alive. And yes, we’ll need another ambulance.” When Crusher rose and stepped aside, Cate gasped.
The driver wore a gray overcoat.